(KNSI) – What started as a conversation around a dinner table among a group of soon-to-be-retired educators 13 years ago is now a reality as the Great River Children’s Museum will open its doors to the public on June 10th.
“Sometimes it’s a little bit surreal and I have to remind myself that, what I was here to do was create a space for community and kids and families, but that our adults are so happy to have the space, not only just for downtown St. Cloud, but for the entire region and for themselves to just have a playful space to go.” That is executive director Cassie Miles who has been working tirelessly to help get the project off the ground.
Miles wants the museum to be a place that fuels a child’s imagination well before they are ever in a classroom. “My biggest message for everybody here is that if we can support our kids and families from birth, not wait for them to get to the public school system where services are a little bit easier to get to our children. If we can support our kids and families from birth, we will all be better off.”
She sees the museum as a vital economic cog in downtown and a recruitment tool for businesses to bring in workers and have them see St. Cloud as a place to raise their families for the long haul. The GRCM has gotten a test run from a special guest just before its grand opening to the general public.
Grant Dossetto/KNSI Radio
Miles guided U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar through the venue on Friday morning. The senator left impressed, particularly by the Headwaters exhibit, which simulates a full day at Lake Itasca. During the night portion of the exhibit, the constellations play out above guests as they gather around the campfire.
Grant Dossetto/KNSI News
Klobuchar was also left excited about the three-story tall Climber to the Clouds exhibit. “I was a little surprised at how tall that tower is, but it’s clearly safe for these kids and they must feel like they’re like regular mountain climbers up there. It’s just… there’s a feeling of openness, and a way for kids to be able to do what they want and not be constrained about this place.”
Grant Dossetto/KNSI News
Guests will be let in starting on Tuesday, the 10th. The GRCM has scheduled a grand opening weekend celebration for the 20th through the 22nd.
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